New Toyota Highlander EV revealed with sharp looks and up to 320 miles of range

Toyota has revealed a new jumbo-sized Highlander BEV, an all-electric seven-seat SUV designed specifically for the American market. Despite its potential global appeal, though, the Highlander won’t initially be available outside of North America, instead serving an EV marketplace that’s cooling at a rapid rate. 

Due to its colossal size, the new Highlander BEV shares lots under the skin with Toyota’s larger petrol and hybrid models, rather than sharing a more specialised EV-first platform as found under the bZ4X. However, the TNGA-K platform it sits on still supports front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive layouts, and two different battery options. 

The entry-level front-drive version is hooked up to a 77kWh battery pack that’s capable of providing up to 287 miles on the US’s EPA range test, which is more sceptical than the European WLTP rating. Power and torque are rated at 221bhp and 268Nm, which isn’t much considering the vehicle’s vast size. 

All-wheel drive dual-motor versions can be paired with either the 77kWh battery pack, with a 270-mile range, or a new 95.8kWh option which unlocks a more useful 320 miles of range. These variants also produce more power, with 338bhp and 436Nm. 

This is the biggest battery pack currently offered in any Toyota model. But it’s also a large part of why the Highlander will only be sold in North America, because this is the first model to use batteries produced in Toyota’s American battery-assembly plant. 

Toyota has not confirmed a DC charging rate, only a 10-80 per cent recharge time of ‘under 30 minutes’, so not exactly BMW iX3 levels of speed. 

What the Highlander BEV has on its side, though, is space, because the seven-seater layout has generous accommodation for all three rows. Most will feature a 2-3-2 seating layout, but higher-spec models will also offer a six-seater format with central captain’s chairs, which are a popular option in the US. 

The new model also introduces Toyota’s latest interior design language and user-interface design. All Highlanders get a new 14-inch touchscreen, plus a 12.3-inch driver’s display and features such as extended ambient lighting and a glass roof. 

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The exterior design is an evolution for the company, with sharper lines and more chiselled surfaces. Up front are a set of Toyota’s now trademark boomerang lights, but it’s the side and rear which feature more dramatic new design elements for the brand. These include flush door handle openings, flared wheelarches and a distinctive two-tone roof design. 

The company has no immediate plans to bring the new model over to the UK though, which some people might be disappointed to hear, because there’s not a huge variety of seven-seat EVs currently available. We suspect the Highlander would be a key rival for the Hyundai Ioniq 9, Kia EV9 and Volvo EX90, all of which are pretty pricey. There’s also the Peugeot E-5008, and the all-new Skoda Peaq being unveiled in June, but these smaller European-focused models aren’t quite as roomy. 

If Toyota could bring the Highlander over at a reasonable price, it could well appeal to British buyers looking for a spacious family car that’s also tax friendly. 

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